Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman’s energy short-circuited San Diego Wave on Saturday, causing the visiting Wave to drop its second consecutive match 3-1.
Rodman’s fast feet and aggressive play kept Wave Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan busy in the first half, but Sheridan was up to the task at Audi Field in D.C.
After a stalemate first half, Washington found the opening goal in the 55th minute from forward Rodman, daughter of former NBA great Dennis Rodman, after slotting the ball to the far post off a one-on-one opportunity with Sheridan.
The Spirit doubled their lead when midfielder Ashley Sanchez finished a cross from Rodman in the 70th minute. Nine minutes later, Paige Metayer put Washington up by three.
The Spirit (3-0-3, 12 points) remains undefeated at home in National Women’s Soccer League play.
On a day when club president Jill Ellis was inducted into National Soccer Hall of Fame, the Wave finally struck in the 90th minute when forward Alex Morgan found a rebound in the box to put San Diego on the board.
Wave head coach Casey Stoney said: “We knew that they’d be dangerous on transition, and they were, so I can’t, I can never fault my team. I thought they tried really hard today.”
Forward Morgan returned to the starting lineup after not playing in the Wave’s last match. She scored the lone goal for the Wave, while earning her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
“My message to the team was: We’ve conceded six in two,” Stoney said. “We can’t continue to concede three goals again and expect to be where we want in the table.”
About the opponent, the coach said: “Trinity Rodman is probably one of the hardest working forwards I’ve ever seen live in person. Obviously, she’s got pace.”
Two 15-year-olds, Wave’s Melanie Barcenas and Spirit’s Chloe Ricketts, made appearances in the last minutes of the match.
Last week, the Wave suffered its first loss at Snapdragon Stadium this season, falling to Orlando Pride.
The Wave (3-3-0, 9 points) continues a three-game road stretch to Kansas City to face the Current at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 14. The match will be aired live on Paramount+.
